Food cooler



yzfi, 9 A. VEILLEUX 1,868,933

FOOD COOLER Filed April 25, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 a. 1 3 Y 2 a, .R uno 7/ R a ai m .U f T 1 WW WI I Z1 J x 4 4% w 3 w k 5 m Patented July26, 1932 UNITED STATES ADOLIPI-IE VEILLEUX, OF ST. MARIES, IDAHO FOODCOOLER Application filed April 25,

The object of this invention is to provide a novel form of food coolerwhich is especially designed and adapted for interior use such as in thekitchen of a home or in commercial eating establishments or in anycapacity in which a food cooler is desired.

It is one of the primary objects of this invention to provide a foodcooler which is equally adapted for use either in mild, hot i or coldweather in the absence of any conversion necessary or anything otherthan simple adjustment of certain parts.

In hot and mild weather, the device of my invention involves evaporationof moisture, to perform the cooling function, and it is a specialfeature of the invention to accelerate and stimulate evaporation by anovel form of air circulating means.

In mildly cold and extremely cold weather, it is a feature of theinvention to employ the same air circulating means in the absence ofevaporation, the circulating means affording ample and accurate controlwhereby the temperature of the food cooler can be regulated.

The invention resides in the method as well as in the apparatus and ithas many other objects and features which will be more fully describedin connection with the accompanying drawings and which will be moreparticularly pointed out in and by the appended claims.

In the drawings Fig 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a portion of adwelling showing the manner in which the device of my invention isinstalled.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2--2 of Fig. 3, showing the apparatuson an enlarged scale as compared to Fig. 1. V

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3--3 of Fig. 4 is a view in frontelevation with the door of the evaporating area or chamber shown in anopen position to disclose the interior of said chamber.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view on line 55 of Fig.4. Fig. 6 is aView in front elevation of the food containing cabinet detached from itshousing. 7

1930. Serial No. 447,232.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the food cabinet in elevation.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout thedifferent figures of the drawings.

First referring to Fig. 1, I have generally indicated the floor 1, wall2 and roof 3 of a dwelling and forming what may be termed a roomorkitchen 4. Disposed upon the floor 1, and preferably near oragainst thewall 2, is one form of apparatus embodying my invention and which isgenerally indicated at A. A relatively small and lower pipe, which willin most cases be an air ingress pipe, is indicated at 5 and extends fromthe device through wall 2 and opens to the outer air, or atmosphere.

A relatively larger and upper pipe 6, leads from the top of the deviceA, through the roof and opens to atmosphere or the outer air.

Further reference to the above parts will be made after the device A hasbeen described in detail and during such detailed description and in thesubsequent description of the operation.

The device A. in the present construction. involves a housing which maybe formed of material having a low conductivity of heat and cold such asany kind of lumber or composite board material although the specifickind of material set forth is not actually essential. However. thehousing as shown. comprises side walls 7. a back wall 8, a bottom wall 9and atop wall 10. A partition, which, in the present construction, is adrip pan 11, adapted to seat on frame portions 12. horizontally dividesor partitions off the interior of the housing into lower and upperchambers 13 and 14. respectively, the latter being the evaporatingchamber or area. The lower chamber in this construction. merely forms aconvenient enclosure at the base of the device and is not patentablyimportant as the upper housing or part thereof might. in someconstructions. be mounted on legs. However, I have shown a door 15, forclosing the lower chamber 13.. and a door 16. for closing the upper orevaporating chamber 14. The door 15 is shown carried by hinges 17 andmay be closed by a suitable fastening device 18 while the door 16 isshown carried by hinges 19 and may be fastened by any suitable form oflock, not shown. I have not detailed the frame work that may benecessary to strengthen the housing as it forms no essential part ofthis invention and the description will be confined to essentialfeatures and structures.

It may also be stated that if desired, the evaporating chamber may beinternally or otherwise equipped with any suitable insulation materialsuch as cork or the like, all of which is known to those skilled in theart.

Reverting again to the specific description, the drip pan 11 is providedwith a relatively short upright flange 20 that abuts against the wallsof the housing to catch the drip from evaporating strips that will laterbe described. Pipe 5, is shown connected with pan 11, at 21, althoughthe connection may be of a detachable type. The pan 11, is provided withan opening 22, through which pipe 5 is adapted to deliver fresh outerair to the evaporating chamber 14, and the delivery is substantiallycentrally disposed with respect to the lateral edges of the pan 11. Asshown in Fig. 3, the pipe 5, may be slight ly downwardly inclined towardits outer end as in most instances, pipe 5, will perform the dualfunction of an air ingress and a drain outlet pipe. It is desirable, aswill later appear, to control airingresswithoutinterfering with drainegress, and hence I have provided pip-e 5 with a butterfly dampercontrol 23, mounted on a spindle 24, having a handle 25, and as thedamper is not air tight or liquid tight, it can be partially turned torestrict ingress of air without shutting the pipe off against egress ofwater.

It will be noted that egress pipe 6 is connected at 26, with top 10, andthe latter has an opening 27 through which air from chamber 14 canegress through pipe 6 and be discharged to the outer air.

Reference will next be made to my improved food container and incoaction with the heretofore described housing.

As shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, the food cabinet is made of sheetmaterial, preferably although not necessarily metal, and comprises abackwall 28 a top wall 29, a bottom wall 30 and side walls 31, the frontbeing open. However, a front flange or wall 32, Fig. 3, forms with saidback wall 28 and side walls 31, an inclosure about the top wall 29,which, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, is recessed to form what I will term amoistening reservoir adapted to contain water or anyothermoisteningfluid or liquid. Any suitable means may be provided formaintaining said reservoir full or substantially so of water.

One or more shelves 33 may be mounted on angle iron supports 34, and heproportions are such as to permit a. flow or circulation of air aboutsaid shelves as the latter are proportioned to afford air spaces aboutthe edges of the same, as will be clearly seen from Figs. 2 and 3.

It will be clear that the walls 31 and 28, of the food containingcabinet, are in spaced relation to walls 7 and 8, of the housing wherebyan evaporating area is afforded on three sides of the food cabinet. Inorder to conserve the eiiiciency of this area when the door 16 isopened, I provide the cabinet with a filler or closure frame consistingof vertical frame members 35, to which the side walls 31 may be secured,as at 36, an upper member 37 and a lower member 38. The latter abutsagainst a frame member 39, of the housing. This frame fits snuglyagainst the walls 7, the top 10 and the transverse frame member 39. andhence closes off the evaporating area or chamber 14, against loss ofcold air, when the door 16 is opened.

As a means of mounting the cabinet in spaced relation to the housing andthe drip pan, I provide a shelf support 40, extending beneath wall 30,and secured to back wall 8. Further, I insert means which may be in theform of headed pins 41, through walls 7, near the outer edges thereofand into the vertical frame members 35, to hold the cabinet in theposition shown.

Now it will be clear that the bottom wall 30, of the cabinet, spreadsthe incoming air laterally so that the air will ascend abreast of thewalls 31 and 28 of the cabinet and between the latter and the walls 7and 8 of the housing. As the opening 27 is substantially centrallydisposed, the air will travel over the top of the cabinet and up throughpipe 6 and outwardly to the atmosphere. A damper 42, mounted on aspindle 43, with a handle 44, serves as a circulation regulator for thepipe 6.

In order to afford an independent air circulation for the food cabinet,the bottom wall 30, is suitably perforated at 45 and a rotary regulator46, suitably apertured, is rotatable on a pivot connector 47, intovarious positions for admitting or shutting off circulation. A likearrangement, which need not be described in detail, is generallyindicated at 48, in the back wall 28, so that air can enter the cabinetfrom the lower part of the evaporating chamber 14, and pass upwardlythrough the cabinet and finally egress therefrom into said chamber 14.The spaces about the edges of the shelves permit such air passagefreely.

I will next refer to the novel means for utilizing the ascending air torender evaporation effective.

Strips of suitable fabric preferably coextensive with the areas of thesides and back of the cabinet are indicated at 49 and 50 the lower ends50 and 51, respectively, are shown extending slightly below the wall 30,and the lower edge 51 may be suitably recessed abreast of support 40. Inany event, drippings from the lower edges will be caught in the drip pan11. It will also be noted that these strips are pendent in the path ofthe ascending air passing upwardly in the evaporating chamber, andhence, evaporation will take place and impart a cooling action to theair. The upper edges 52 and 53, of said strips 49 and 50, respectively,overhang the upper walls 31 and 28 and dip into the liquid in thereservoir and the liquid is carried over by capillary attraction to thependent portions of the strips. Of course the strips are generally solong, that capillary attraction will not raise the water in them andthey would become saturated were it not for the evaporation caused bythe ascending air, and consequently, to the best of my knowledge andbelief, the strips are saturated until the excess that evaporation willnot take up, discharges into the drip pan 11.

However, this is dependent upon the regulation which conditions require.In excessively hot weather, both dampers 23 and 42 would presumably befully opened to permit a free flow of air and under such conditions, Ihave held a match at the intake end of pipe 5, and the inrush has beensuch that the flame of the match was blown out. The egress of airupwardly through pipe 6, is also very perceptible, which proves to methat I obtain an upward current of air through the device.

However, under different conditions, the dampers 23 and 42 may bedifferently adjusted, one being partly closed and the other fully openedor vice versa, which adjustable control is of great importance inregulating the device to different conditions of weather. Of course, inmild weather the dampers can be regulated to restrict the flow of air asnot as much evaporation is required as in hot weather.

It may be stated that any suitable means may be provided for suspendingthe fabric strips, and as far as this disclosure is concerned, the wallsof the reservoir may be provided with openings through. which suitablepins 54 may be inserted, the pins passing through the fabric, as shownin Figs. 2 and 3.

In cold weather, it is not necessary to put any water in the reservoirat all, and while the fabric strips may he removed entirely, this is notnecessary. Under such conditions, I depend upon the flow of cold airinwardly through pipe 5, into the chamber 14, in which the air will bewarmed to a certain extent and will then of course flow upwardly andoutwardly through pipe 6. The dampers can be controlled to roughlyregulate the temperature during such weather, and hence it will be seenthat I have an all-year food cooler which need not in any manner bestructurally converted from one weather con dition to another, but whichmerely requires adjustment; .This I have proven by installations thatare now in actual and highly successful service.

will be clear that in any kind of weather, the regulators 47 and 48 canbe opened to some extent so that there will be some circulation of airupwardly through the interior of the food containing cabinet therebyavoiding dead air which is highly objectionable in obvious respects, andmore especially in cansing flavor contamination of one article of foodby another. In cold and very severe cold weather when there is no waterin the moistening reservoir and the usual evaporating process is notemployed, and when the cooleris disposed in a hot kitchen, it is mostimportant to open the regulators 47 and 48 to the required extent. Undersuch conditions, the heat in such a room might warm the walls of thehousing to such an extent that a current of cold air would be mostessential for passage upwardly through the food cabinet. Thus, by meansof these regulators, the volume of air passing upwardly through thecabinet can be regulated irrespective of damper 23, or in conjunctiontherewith. The frequency with which the door 16 would be opened in arestaurant kitchen, for instance, would make the advantage of thisfeature obvious.

In summer, possibly a lesser volume of air would be admitted through thecabinet, although in any event and under all conditions except those ofa most extreme and unusual character, the regulators would never beentirely closed, as that adjustment would involve an obviousdisadvantage.

It is believed that the device of this invention will be fullyunderstood from the foregoing description, and which I have shown onlyone specific form of the invention, I do not wish to be limited theretoexcept for such limitations as the claims may import.

I claim 1- 1. In a food cooler for interior use, a housing adapted to bedisposed in a room, a drip pan partitioning off said housing into lowerand upper chambers, a. relatively small diameter air ingress and dripdischarge pipe opening to the outer air and extending through saidhousing and being connected with said drip pan and adapted to deliverouter air substantially centrally through said drip pan to said upperchamber, a food containing cabinet mounted in spaced relation to thewalls of said housing in said upper chamber thereof and overhanging saiddrip pan and adapted to spread the incoming air laterally for ascentthereof between the walls of said cabinet and housing, said cabinethaving a moistening reservoir in the top thereof, evap; orating fabricstrips mounted on said cabinet and dipping into said reservoir anddepending exteriorly of said cabinet and between the latter and thewalls of said housing in the path of the ascending air and adapted todischarge into said drip pan, a relatively enlarged egress pipe leadingfrom the top of said housing to the outer air whereby a continuouscirculation is afforded, and said cabinet having ingress and egressopenings near the bottom and top thereof, respectively, wherebycirculation may be afforded in said cabinet from and to said upperchamber.

2. In a food cooler adapted for interior use, a housing adapted to bedisposed in a room and forming an evaporating chamber having back, top,and side walls and an open front a drip pan forming the bottom of saidchamber, a door mounted on said housing for closing said chamber, a foodcontaining cabinet removably disposed in said chamber in spaced relationto said housing to form an evaporating area, said cabinet having back,top, bottom and side walls and an open front and said top wall beingrecessed to form a reservoir, air circulating regulators near the bottomand top of said cabinet, said cabinet having a closure frame snuglyfitting the walls of said housing and coacting therewith to close offsaid evaporating area from the room air when said door is open,evaporating fabric strips dipping into said reservoir and extendingdownwardly in said evaporating area and adapted to discharge into saiddrip pan, said evaporating area having a lower air connection with theouter air and an upper connection with the outer air.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ADOLPI-IE VEILLEUX.

